Hudson turned two months old this week! It’s hard to believe that 9 weeks ago I was stalking the city, willing him to come out… and now he’s here and I can’t imagine life without him. Here’s some of the highlights of the last month! And consider yourself warned: baby picture and selfie overload.

 

 

I found month 2 more challenging than the first, which is probably unusual. However, it’s also been more fun and way more adorable than the first month. I’ve heard that babies start smiling just when you need it most: when you’re going on months of little sleep and likely dealing with a rough patch in the 6-8 week stretch. And man is that true, or at least in my case. I will never get tired of seeing his little face light up in that huge, gummy smile.

Thankfully, nighttime sleep is going pretty well. (Knocking on wood so hard for typing that!) He’s typically asleep by 8pm thanks to a great routine with Dad: bath, bottle, then bed. After he’s down, J and I have dinner and a little baby-free time before crashing for the night. Hudson usually wakes up sometime between 12:30-1:30 and then again between 4:30-5:30. So we’re getting about 2 solid stretches of four hours sleep at this point, which is survivable! The other night he slept until 2:30 for the first stretch and then didn’t wake up until 6:30 for the day, and angels sang. Going from two feedings at night to one is the DREAM and I have a feeling it’s not too far off. #wishfulthinking

 

 

Naps — well, that’s another story. We’re still trying our best to implement routines and get him to sleep in his own crib to set him up for good sleep long-term. But honestly, I had to let a lot of my expectations go around how all that would work. We really have yet to see a nap much longer than 45 minutes over the last month and getting him back to sleep in his own bed after he wakes up only happens once in a while. I figure that I need to prioritize him getting sleep however we can, so my plan has been to try two to three times to get him settled back down and in his crib. When additional nap time in the crib fails, I try to get him some more sleep by taking him out at that point to hold him to sleep for another 30-45 minutes. My trusty Wonder Weeks app says he’s just coming out of the 6-8 week developmental leap now, so I’m hoping that he’s able to sleep longer once this period of rapid growth winds down a bit.

 

 

Honestly, I love him napping in my arms but I do know it’s an unsustainable plan long-term for every nap! He needs to be able to fall asleep on his own and not on a human every time. We’ll get there… one day at a time.

It’s crazy to see how much he’s grown when I compare this month’s photos to last month’s. Physically, he’s SO much bigger — his head is huge, (that’s one trait he inherited from me… my siblings and I all have huge heads. Big brains, as my mama says!) and he’s gotten so much longer he’s not even close to fitting in some of the onesies that he was wearing just a week or so ago. He’s going to be tall like his dad, that is for sure. He’s still got the adorable baby rolls going on the thighs and arms, but I actually think that he looks slightly less chubby than before due to his increased length. I miss the buddha belly!

 

 

Developmentally, he’s also grown leaps and bounds. Overnight it seems he became much sturdier and is no longer our floppy little infant. He’s holding his head up like it’s no big deal, and when we “fly” him in the air he’s strong enough to hold his little body flexed straight. He kicks his legs all day long (a huge part of the reason he’s not napping well, now that I mention it) and is constantly wiggling around.

He’s also sort of found his hands — he’s not really grasping anything yet or able to intentionally navigate them anywhere other than into his mouth. They’re still balled up into little fists the entire time, so it’s doing nothing in the way of self-soothing yet… but it’s so funny to see him smear his fists all over his face rocking an extremely confused expression. Gettin’ there, bud!

 

 

Other fun new things this month are focusing on us much more clearly and following us with his eyes, and a major lovefest between Huds and his play mat. It plays music and alternates blinking lights in a pattern and he will lay there watching happily for 30 minutes straight, kicking his feet the entire time.  I can’t wait to see him start grabbing for the toys hanging from the beams.

 

 

September was pretty social for us, or at least relative to August! We had lots of friends and family visit and we made a point to get out there in the real world. Jason and I are pretty cautious when it comes to dragging Hudson around, so I was proud of us for taking Hudson to a good number of restaurants and shopping, and to visit friends and family. Every time we go out I wonder what we were so worried about because he’s an angel when we’re out and about and sleeps pretty much the entire time. (Also not a sustainable naptime strategy long-term… but I’ve considered it!)

 

 

And finally — a major hallmark of this month has been the glorious, glorious wrap. I didn’t really see myself as a baby-wearer but as is often the case in new parenthood: I was totally wrong! I have a Boba wrap that I received as a shower gift from my friend Rachael along with a note reading, “good luck… think of me every time you try to put this thing on.” Well, Rach, you’ll be proud to know that I’ve mastered it (but I still think of you every time I put it on!) and it’s been a sanity-saver for the 5-6:30PM window these days. Hudson’s entire body immediately relaxes as soon as I get him in there, provided I can maneuver a pacifier into his mouth too. He usually dozes on and off for at least an hour and I’m hands-free to get some dinner ready (on very ambitious days) or read (more likely) while we wait for Dad to come home. It’s surprisingly comfy and I really love the quiet, bonus snuggly time at the end of the day.

 

 

As for how I’m doing over the last month: pretty darn good. I am so, so grateful to have such a strong partner in parenting— I think that at least 50 times a day. Thanks to our tag-teaming efforts, I feel rested enough, our place is in pretty good shape, and I’m getting enough “me time” to see friends or take little breaks so that I can still feel like myself. I’ve also started operation Get In Shape for Mexico and have been heading to Pure Barre classes a few nights a week while he’s putting Huds down for the night. No surprise, the mental benefits of working out are huge and I’m loving the endorphins. (I’ll have to report back later on the effectiveness of the workout but I can say that it is PAIN.FUL, so something must be happening!)

I 100% believe, as all parents do, that Hudson is the cutest little nugget on the planet, and I feel so grateful to spend my days with my bud. Even when they’re rough ones! Which have not exactly been in shortage over the last month. In the first month, I admit to thinking: this isn’t so hard! What’s everyone talking about?! This month, reality has settled in — raising a baby is HARD. Easily the hardest thing I’ll ever do, particularly this first one! But as is true with many things in life, the reward is so much greater for the work that you put in. I look at Hudson and can’t believe that we’re MAKING him grow and learn with the efforts we put into getting him good sleep, food, and care. Blows my mind. I can’t even keep a plant alive, but we’re growing a human! And a pretty adorable, smiley one at that. I may be tired, but life is great. I love you Hudson! Another month on the books.